Topic: Mixed thoughts

[lyndhurst44]

Here is a nice irridescent vase that I recently purchased on Ebay.
The vase was discribed as having a silver rim, which it has.
However the vase had the look of Loetz,  Kralic or even Dugan all eminating from the late Victorian period on to the 1930s.
But the silver rim has a Hallmark which dates it to Birmingham 1830 probably, to my thinking, may be proved wrong,  being before the introduction of irridescent  glass.
So I think I may have a vase that started of as a normal Victorian era  glass vase that has had a much earlier collar added, possibly as a result of damage to the glass rim.
What do you think? and do you know the glass pattern please?

http://i5.tinypic.com/282nkib.jpg

Cheers,
Bryn (not Brian)

"It's a minefield out there!" :mrgreen:  :wink:  

[lyndhurst44]

Hi,
I have just dug out this old chestnut. I never had a reply when I listed it 3 years ago, I wonder if there is now someone on the board who might recognise the style.The vase would seem to have been made in 4 sections as there is a cross or plus mark covering the base.
Here are some fresh photo's, including a poor quality one of the hall mark. Now the left side mark does not look like a lion to me.

Thanks,
Bryn

[Ivo]

Curious story. Rose vases with grill gained popularity in the twenties and thirties - it ties in with the arrival of low tables and vases for small bouquets on them.  A Birmingham hall mark 1830 is as good as unthinkable. Get it checked by a silver guy, they should be much more accurate and they can tell you what sort of case the top belonged to - if it is real.  As for glass, I would thing late twenties, North Bohemia - no name jumps to attention.

[lyndhurst44]

Thanks Ivo,
There is also a "sterling" mark and a number that looks like 115 along the top edge. As I stated in 2006 to my mind the glass has had a some damage to it's rim and this has been concealed by adding this early piece of silver. There are signs of some sort of adhesive and you can see that the pattern is not "straight" immediatly below the silver band. I do know a chap in Abergavenny market who deals in silver items and I will ask him about the mark on Wednesday.
Bryn

[Pinkspoons]

I seem to recall reading that there was a fad, for those a little light in the purse, of putting gobbledygook hallmarks on to white metals to give the appearance of solid silver from a distance... perhaps late 19th century or early 20th century, and that this practice was outlawed in legislation. If these marks do turn out to be this type of nonsense hallmark, it might give an approximate age for the metal - or at least a specific year that it couldn't have been made after.

[Pinkspoons]

Ignore the above message.... and try Gorham Manufacturing Co.:

http://www.925-1000.com/Gorham_Date_Code.html

[Andy]

Wow Nic, Good research!  :hiclp: :hiclp: :hiclp:

Gorham, Rhode Island , USA. Theres a lot of water between there and Birmingham!
 

(Isnt that where Batman comes from)  :24:

[lyndhurst44]

Phew!! Nic, stunning deducting, your second name is not Holmes is it?? I would never have found that in a hundred years of searching.  :hiclp: :hiclp:

Now then Nic, who made the vase? I need the maker, company, and where he went on holiday that year!. Ta. :mrgreen:
Bryn

[Pinkspoons]

Well, now that you mention it, the glassmaker was....

Nah, not got a clue. 

I stumbled on the silver article ages ago when looking for information on Danish silver on the same site, and your hallmarks rang bells when I looked more closely after my first post.